According to O’Brien, a true war story: is never moral, is always uncomfortable, can never be believed, but makes the stomach believe (68-78). Above all, a true war story is never about war (85). All the stories told by O’Brien are glimpses into the daily life of a soldier in Vietnam while in-country and upon returning home, yet none are about actual battles within the war. The combination of the monotonous and the unexpected occurrences of Vietnam are responsible for the emotional scar these men bare to this day, therefore, when they tell their stories, they strive towards the goal of creating that experience on paper. The purpose of Vietnam literature is to elicit the same emotions and experiences the soldiers had in the mind of the reader. In order to be true to the sentiments of the soldiers, the story of Vietnam must be told in just the manner described by O’Brien. What became the mundane in the context of the war, such as ambushes in the jungle that resulted in gruesome deaths, must presented in such a commonplace manner in order to “make the stomach [of the reader] believe” that such horrific images are possible. To see a man disintegrate into tiny pieces with the help of a grenade is an unsettling spectacle no matter the circumstances, but these men were forced to experience this sight on a regular basis. Many have utilized the art of story-telling to cope with these images in attempts to find some meaning within the Vietnam War. O’Brien became famous for writing his fictitious novels a few years after the end of the war. One of the most vibrant images O’Brien creates is the “star-shaped hole” in ‘The Man I Killed’ (124). We are later told that the story is fictitious, but O’Brien continues to return to this image through several other stories. The guilt he feels as he stands in disbelief of his attack on this civilian soldier is representative of most Vietnam literature. I imagine it is a storey as uncomfortable to tell as it is to hear. The death of this soldier carries no particular meaning or moral; it is simply an example of the killing habit formed by the war. It is difficult to believe, yet through O’Brien’s detailed description of the deformed body, your stomach senses that this was entirely possible in the context of the war.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Week 8 Assigned Topic
According to O’Brien, a true war story: is never moral, is always uncomfortable, can never be believed, but makes the stomach believe (68-78). Above all, a true war story is never about war (85). All the stories told by O’Brien are glimpses into the daily life of a soldier in Vietnam while in-country and upon returning home, yet none are about actual battles within the war. The combination of the monotonous and the unexpected occurrences of Vietnam are responsible for the emotional scar these men bare to this day, therefore, when they tell their stories, they strive towards the goal of creating that experience on paper. The purpose of Vietnam literature is to elicit the same emotions and experiences the soldiers had in the mind of the reader. In order to be true to the sentiments of the soldiers, the story of Vietnam must be told in just the manner described by O’Brien. What became the mundane in the context of the war, such as ambushes in the jungle that resulted in gruesome deaths, must presented in such a commonplace manner in order to “make the stomach [of the reader] believe” that such horrific images are possible. To see a man disintegrate into tiny pieces with the help of a grenade is an unsettling spectacle no matter the circumstances, but these men were forced to experience this sight on a regular basis. Many have utilized the art of story-telling to cope with these images in attempts to find some meaning within the Vietnam War. O’Brien became famous for writing his fictitious novels a few years after the end of the war. One of the most vibrant images O’Brien creates is the “star-shaped hole” in ‘The Man I Killed’ (124). We are later told that the story is fictitious, but O’Brien continues to return to this image through several other stories. The guilt he feels as he stands in disbelief of his attack on this civilian soldier is representative of most Vietnam literature. I imagine it is a storey as uncomfortable to tell as it is to hear. The death of this soldier carries no particular meaning or moral; it is simply an example of the killing habit formed by the war. It is difficult to believe, yet through O’Brien’s detailed description of the deformed body, your stomach senses that this was entirely possible in the context of the war.
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I agree when you say these stories are meant to create the experiences that the soldiers faced. I know we talked in the beginning of the semester that in fiction we tend to put ourselves in the story, but with these stories, I can actually see myself in them. I feel the feelings that the soldiers experienced and I have a better knowledge of how war really is. There's more to it than blowing up people and wearing the camo and the 30 pounds of equiptment. I must say that thought I can experience what they have through reading their stories, I will never fully understand the impact it has had on the soldiers. I just read the stories, I never actually lived them and because of that, I can be part of the story while I'm reading and then as soon as I close the book again, I am back to reality, where I'm not in a war.
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